The Push They Need
by BewilderedFemale
Summary: A very shy and intellectual Andorian ends up falling for an equally shy and intellectual Human female. Both are too shy to say anything and there are also certain circumstances obstructing the path for them to get together, what will they do?
1. Chapter 1

Can you believe it? A story where there aren't any pointy-eared beings involved! GASP!

**"The Push They Need"**

* * *

Zhrian would watch her from afar but never dared to approach her, it was not allowed.

He was an Andorian and very soon his family would assign him to a proper Keth and that would be the end of it. For a while his thoughts didn't linger much on the subject, especially when his work sent him traveling to different parts of the planet, but every now and then when he saw couples together, he'd think of her and become engulfed in the emptiness that was inside of him. It didn't help matters much that one of his closest friends, who happened to be human was also good friends with her and he would constantly bring her up in conversation so it was quite impossible to stop thinking about her.

He had met Michelle at a party where Joe had introduced them to one another, he had liked her almost instantly but he realized that her presence caused feelings in him that he had never before dealt with so he spent the majority of the night either sitting in a corner with his brother or walking over to get food, otherwise he didn't do much else except stare at Michelle from afar. At one point she had asked him if he liked to dance, and he had immediately declined, she then walked off with her other friends who did dance and he simply sat there and watched her.

"Hey." Joe, their mutual human friend said to him one day.

"What do you think about Michelle?"

His antenna betrayed him as it twitched involuntarily. Joe laughed out loud. "Hmmm.. That says it all. You know... She was talking about you the other day and I think she likes you."

Zhrian let out a rather nervous laugh. "How can you possibly know this?"

"Because she was over at the house and she told us."

Zhrians bright blue eyes grew wide and his antenna shot upward. "Did she really?"

Joe nodded with a huge smirk on his face. "She'll never tell you though, she is incredibly shy until she gets to know you, and it turns out that you're incredibly shy too so I don't know what we're gonna do with you both! Because I know that you too like each other!"

Zhrian felt himself smiling despite himself, he could not hide his initial desire to see Michelle again, it had been almost a month since he had last seen her.

"Listen, one of her big things is to experiment and try new foods, she's really into Bajoran food right now and sometimes on Sundays we go to this restaurant and eat Beotak"

Zhrian nodded excitedly. "Yes! I am familiar with this dish! I eat it often as well. It is a soup with noodles and vegetables."

Joe laughed. "See! You guys have so much in common! Cause I know that you like different foods too!"

Zhrian lifted a brow. "It helps that I have a rapid metabolism."

"She can put it away though, she may be little, but she can eat!"

All this talk of similar interests caused Zhrian to feel an odd sensation start at the pit of his stomach, it suddenly became imperative that he see her again.  
"May I join you all the next time you partake of this dining out activity?"

Joe laughed again. "It's funny you should ask because, we're going this Sunday, it'll give you guys a chance to get to know each other and become friends. Remember, every solid relationship starts off as friendship first."

Zhrian nodded. "I agree with this train of thought for at this stage in my life I'm afraid that I cannot commit to anything other than friendship at this time."

Joe patted him hard on the back. "GREAT MAN! Don't be late."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Zhrian looked at himself in the mirror for what was probably the 11th time. He sighed nervously and then looked at the time. He didn't want to arrive too early because then he would seem over-eager, but Joe had warned him about arriving late. He mentally calculated how long it would take him to get there. There was that one street light that took approximately 3 minutes to change, but everything else would be smooth.  
He wore a short sleeved dress shirt, and a pair of black slacks, just a touch of cologne and he was out the door.

The journey took about five minutes longer than anticipated. He quickly observed his reflection one last time in the flitter mirror and walked quickly into the restaurant. He saw Joe's flitter in the lot and knew they were probably already waiting on him.  
He felt his pulse race as he opened the door, his eyes automatically searching and settled on the sight of Joe, his wife and son, but notably absent was Michelle and Joe's youngest daughter.

Zhrian sat in one of the available chairs on their table. Joe's wife smiled. "Hi Zhrian, good to see you!"

"I hope that you have not been waiting long." Zhrian said as he looked around.

"Nah, you're cool, we just got here."

Zhrian looked around. "And Michelle?"

"She's with my daughter in the ladies room." Not a moment later, the sound of hurrying small steps could be heard and there was a sudden high pitched yell: "Zhrian's here!" He turned and Joe's little girl Anabelle almost knocked him over his chair from hugging him so hard.

"Zhrian! How come you're late?!" She pouted as she placed her small hands on her hips and cocked her head sideways. "I was looking for your flitter in the parking lot Zhrian!"

"There were unforeseen traffic delays little one." He said as she took the seat next to his.

"Hi." Came that familiar voice from above. He immediately tried to control his antenna and his movements so that he gave off the impression of being totally and completely calm. He smiled and nodded. "Good to see you." He found that despite himself, his eyes immediately zoomed down from her to the menu and he found it exceedingly difficult to look directly at her.

Michelle realized how nervous he was and while she was too, she began making conversation and directed her stare directly at him. She held his blue eyes at one point and he looked back into hers feeling that strange sensation at the pit of his stomach all over again. He was indeed grateful for the fact that Joe was there because he fed them topics of conversation and that sent both himself and Michelle talking about several subjects. He realized that his initial fear was unwarranted, she was very easy to talk to and it turned out that they did in fact have much in common. It wasn't long before the conversation seemed to just flow between the two of them and Michelle looked up to realize that both Joe and his wife were looking at the two of them and then at each other in a knowing fashion.

Joe had that mischievous look to his face as he leaned forward closer to Zhrian. "You know what I really like about this girl?" He said as he pointed to Michelle. Her cheeks grew pink as she was obviously caught off guard. Zhrian took the opportunity to look at her features well. Michelle could feel the weight of his stare and she turned her eyesight elsewhere.

"She is so in touch with how other people feel, and cares so much about her friends feelings that she will go out of her way and go above and beyond to make sure she's there for you. That is one of the things I admire about you Michelle."

"Wow.. that's... Thank you.." She whispered to Joe.

"And this guy!" He said as he smacked Zhrian hard on the back. "Most humble man you will ever meet Michelle." It was now Zhrians turn for his cheeks to grow a dark bluish hue.

Zhrian felt his shirt being tugged and looked down at a smiling Anabelle. "Zhrian, where is your Brother Kiim?"

"Oh, he couldn't come, he's out with his other friends."

"You didn't go with him?" Anabelled asked, her small face scrunching up in confusion. "No, I had plans to be here with you all."

"Oh!" She cried happily. "I'm glad you're here Zhrian!"

Michelle observed their conversation and it dawned on her that he had probably set aside other plans to be there. They looked at one another and an expression of understanding was passed between the two.

All too soon it was time to leave. Michelle got up first and was walking out the restaurant with little Anabelle; Zhrian followed not too far behind. She could feel him looking at her, she was glad that she had worn her light blue dress; she had been told by various people that it looked good on her. She turned around suddenly and confirmed her guess, he had been looking at her intently and a thrilling sensation shot throughout her being. She thought him so handsome as he stood there before her. She loved that he was so tall, that his skin looked so smooth and touchable, and she suddenly found herself wondering what it would be like to kiss him.  
A smirk formed on her lips when she saw that he had indeed given Joe's wife a kiss on the cheek while saying his goodbye. She waited for him to turn to her, saw that he was about to extend his hand towards her but she bypassed his hand and tiptoed while leaning upwards to try to reach him and understanding dawned on his face followed by a quick smile that she did not miss. He kissed her cheek and despite it having ended far too quickly, the sensation that he felt when their cheeks touched was all he thought about on the drive home, as he showered and got ready for bed, and while he lay awake 2 hours later than his accustomed resting period.


	2. Doubts

**You guys caught on pretty good, but no, this is not the same Andorian from "Love Not Included" His name was Zhraan and this guy is Zhrian (Big difference right?) Anyway, this particular chapter is really just to give insight on what goes on in the mind of someone who is incredibly shy, especially someone who is inexperienced with matters of love, there will be some hurdles to overcome for sure.**

* * *

Zhrian looked at his communicator more often than he was accustomed to doing. He wasn't really exactly sure what to expect but he felt slightly disappointed when he saw that there were no new messages, and when he did get messages, he'd get upset about the fact that they were from the usual people who contacted him. He had been busy that week with work and had to travel so it was good that his mind was preoccupied with that and not of the constant replay of dinner with Michelle that one night.

In his mind he had tried to persuade himself that maybe friendship was really all that should ever remain between them. There were a lot of deep issues regarding himself and his family that she would have to get tangled in and he wasn't sure that she would want to deal with it, especially if he were already too emotionally attached to her; he did not know that he could bear her rejection.

His mind in general seemed to get caught up in the whole rejection aspect of her. He just couldn't seem to understand why someone like her would want to end up with someone like him. Humans in general did not find Andorians physically attractive so his mind had a hard time accepting the fact that she really liked him at all and so he began questioning all that had transpired at dinner. He could not fully understand why he was so desperately trying to find a reason to justify forgetting her, and yet all he seemed to think about was her. As he sat at the shuttle terminal waiting for them to begin boarding, he found himself wondering what it would be like to go on dates with her to certain places he frequented, but then he'd berate himself for thinking that way. They were hardly even friends, it was better just to forget.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Michelle thought about Zhrian all the time despite herself. She hated the fact that she did, and she blamed no one else but her mother. It had been her mother's fault and she regretted the day that she had told her about him. After she had met Zhrian for the first time, she had confided to her mother that she had liked him a lot. She had been drawn first and fore mostly by his calm manner and his extreme intelligence but once she saw that he hadn't really made much of a move to get to know her more, she had pretty much forgotten about him that was until her mother kept brining him up in conversation.

"So how is Zhrian? Have you seen him? What are you waiting for girl? Do you want to stay single the rest of your life? You're not getting any younger!"

Her mother's constantly bringing him up caused her to think about him, and it had ultimately resulted in her confiding in Joe that she had liked him. She still didn't know if having done that had been such a hot idea after all was said and done and Joe never told her what they had talked about because she knew that they had most assuredly talked. She knew that Zhrian had obviously found her attractive but that simply was not enough, attraction alone was not really enough to build a solid relationship, at least for her.

She thought about trying to inquire after him but she figured she had done enough as it was. She had been the one to let Joe know she was interested, he had followed through and shown up at dinner, they had had a nice time; they even kissed each other on the cheek afterwards for goodness sake! And then nothing. It was bad no matter how you looked at it because even if he did want to get to know her as a "Friend" like he claimed, he hadn't really done much to assure that by giving her his com number or anything else for that matter. It seemed like he was just relying on Joe to invite them both over whenever they were both available, and she could foresee that that simply was probably not going to work out and it suddenly became clear to her that he might simply not know what he wants or that he was simply not as interested as Joe made him out to be.

Michelle decided then that given the circumstances, she wasn't going to continue worrying about it. Zhrian was a really nice guy, but maybe things were working out in this particular fashion for a reason, and no matter how often she observed the circumstances, it also didn't sit well with her that she felt like she was the one who always had to take the initiative. Wasn't that the man's job? Wasn't the man supposed to be the one to pursue? The last thing she wanted was to end up with a wimp who can't do anything for himself and go after what he wants.

She understood that he was shy, she was shy too but when she wanted something, she'd go above and beyond to try and get it, because that was simply the way of the world. You can't just sit around and wait for something to come to you; you have to work to get it. She sighed as she thought these things and that palpable feeling of rejection was ever present. She would get rejected not only by human men, but also by other male races too; she was building quite a repertoire indeed.


	3. Call Me Maybe

It had been almost a month since the dinner when Zhrian met up with Joe for lunch. He couldn't quite understand why he was slightly nervous, probably because he knew Michelle would come up in conversation at some point - which she did.

"You never exchanged comm numbers or anything like that did you?" Joe asked him.

"Negative, we came to no such agreement." Zhrian said as he sipped his iced tea.

"Did you change your mind about her or something?" Joe asked.

"The matter is complicated, but I did find her very pleasing." That of course didn't even cover a quarter of how he truly felt but he didn't feel like it was proper to disclose so much to Joe. He seemed calm and collected on the exterior, but in private his inner turmoil for her was close to driving him mad. He could not get the blasted girl out of his thoughts!

Joe sighed and shook his head. "One of you has got to give man! You're too shy, she's too shy."

Zhrian took a sip of his drink and sighed. "It is probably better that things remain as they are. My situation as you know is quite complicated. Plus I have recently discovered that my work Visa here on Earth is soon to expire and they are threatening me on an almost daily basis to have me sent back to Andoria.

Joe's eyes grew wide. "Dude! I didn't know that!"

Zhrian nodded. "It's true."

"But you… I mean…Do you want to go back?" Joe asked, still trying to digest this recent bit of news.

"Of course not. I have settled very well here on Earth. I find this planet quite varied in people, cuisine, and recreation. Earth has become my home, I shall be very upset to leave it, but it seems I have no choice in the matter."

"What about your family? Are they getting deportation threats too?"

"No; just me." Zhrian said. "So you see, this is another reason why I choose to keep my distance from Michelle."

"Hold on…" Joe said as he raised his hand up in the air. "What if you married a human?"

"Well then of course I could stay, but I do not want that to be the reason for which I should marry! Michelle will believe that I am pursing her simply so that I can stay here on Earth."

"You underestimate her Zhrian. I think she'll understand, you don't know her like I do. This girl is different."

"So you keep telling me." Zhrian said in annoyance. He had a mind to suddenly find an excuse to leave. The rehashing of this sensitive topic was making him angry and frustrated all over again. Joe noticed and quickly changed the subject to work, and Michelle was not mentioned again that night.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

A couple of days had passed in which there was a group pot luck dinner. Zhrian could not attend as he had been sent to work in Ecuador for three days, but Joe and his family were there. Michelle thought for sure that Zhrian would attend, but as the time went by and he didn't show up, her disappointment grew all the more. It had been so long since she had seen him that she had already forgotten what he looked like!  
Her heart was racing and her mouth was dry as she attempted to try to find a way to ask Joe about him, but it ended up just leaving her lips abruptly.

"Why is Zhrian not here?" She said so suddenly that Joe's eyes widened and then mellowed in mirth.

"You like him a lot don't you?"

She sighed loudly, no point in denying it right? "Yes, but apparently this is all a one way street." She said as she crossed her arms in front of her in a huff.

"You both are just too shy! The idea was that you guys should have exchanged numbers that night we went out for dinner, but it didn't happen."

Michelle lifted her chin up in the air and rose out of her seat. "I'm going to get my comm right now!" Which she did and looked up at Joe as she waited for him to give her what she wanted. He of course was laughing all the while. "I need to send him a message first getting his ok before I give it to you."  
Michelle watched as he wrote out the message:  
"_Zhrian, Michelle wants to talk to you, I'm going to give her your comm number_"

Not even a minute later he got a reply. "_Does she indeed? By all means, give it to her. What is her number, so that I may know it is coming from her_?"

Michelle smirked as she got up from her table. It was time to get things underway.

She followed through with her promise and sent him a message, to which he replied almost instantly, and this went on well into the night. They spoke of their past, where they had grown up, what they enjoyed doing during their spare time. It was very much a repeat of dinner except that they were able to delve deeper into other topics of conversation. Every time his comm chimed, a small thrill traveled down his spine, it was absolutely, positively, the most ridiculous thing to ever happen to him, there was no reason to get so excited over something so arbitrary and yet, it was happening. Michelle finally needed to get some rest and ended their message interplay, only to start back up the following day, and this time he requested to meet her at a restaurant.  
His fingers quivered nervously as he opened and read her reply, his stomach suddenly knotting up when the first words he read were: "_I can't, I had already made plans_." Of course she would have plans.

Then came another message: "_But Let's meet up Tomorrow!_"

And it was as if all of the sudden, that state of depression and deep despair over the fact that she so obviously did not want to see him suddenly lifted off of him and he was on cloud 9 all over again. Running a marathon suddenly seemed to be in order; she did want to see him again! Before him lay nothing but sunshine and butterflies! He waited a few minutes before he answered for he did not want to seem too over eager. The last thing he needed was to scare her off.  
After a few minutes he replied: "_I think I can schedule that in, please let me know the place and exact time._"

He sent the message and waited for her to reply. "_This is all so ridiculous_!" He kept telling himself. He should have stayed unattached. He never should have met Michelle. He felt like such an amateur and he hated what he was becoming, and yet he could not help it and that only served to frustrate him more. He shouldn't be doing this. He should have kindly told Joe that although he appreciated Michelle's desire to speak with him, there really wasn't anything to be said between them. Yes, it might have come off as rude but it would have prevented any further complications, but it was all too late for that now, he had fallen, was falling, and was for the crash to occur.

She replied, and it was a bittersweet moment for him as he re-read her message several times later that day. He would see her again, and things would just continue to complicate themselves further.


	4. Enter The Romulan!

He arrived early and was waiting in the flitter anxiously looking up every time he sensed movement. He fumbled around for his comm and looked to see if she had sent him a message but she had not. He sighed loudly and leaned back against his seat, maybe she was not going to come, maybe she had a sudden change of heart and decided that getting involved with him was a mistaken, maybe… His comm suddenly shot up in the air and fell abruptly on the passenger side floor when he saw a silver flitter approaching at a slow pace. He could see the driver from where he was and his eyes followed as they absorbed every detail; it was Michelle. The flitter stopped, she flipped down what looked to be a mirror on the drivers side and fixed her hair which in fact needed no fixing, she was perfection itself in his eyes – yeah, he had already fallen that bad already. He saw when she opened the door and stepped out. Her mouth slightly opened as she looked around trying to find him. His hand fumbled with the flitter door and … It wouldn't open! He tried again and leaned against the door but it still wouldn't open!

"Confounded door! Out of all the times for it to get stuck like…" And he gave the door a final hard shove and he all but fell unceremoniously out of the flitter and on to the floor.

"Zhrian! Are you alright!" Michelle suddenly gasped in alarm.

Of course this would happen to him, he would make a fool of himself in front of her, what would she think? That he was some kind of a dumb klutz!

"The door, it wouldn't open…" He began, his face turning a weird sort of purplish color as he purposely avoided eye contact with her. He felt her hands around his arm and he allowed her to help him up, but he refused to look at her.

"Oh, that's happened to me before Zhrian, there's no need to be embarrassed!"

He looked up at her and tilted his head, she was being sincere he could tell. "Did it really?"

"Oh yeah." She replied. "And it was worse for me because I landed right into a nasty puddle and couldn't go home to change, it was absolutely terrible! So you see; there's not need to feel bad about it."

They stayed staring at one another for a long time, they were still holding each other and he had to admit that he didn't hate it. She was warm and smelled of gardenias. Her cheeks were pink and the color spread when he realized he was leaning closer to her.

"It's really good to see you again Zhrian." She whispered.

Zhrian swallowed the lump in his throat. "I feel the same Michelle."

Neither were really making a move and it was obviously causing a scene as a few people walked by and stared at them and then Michelle's comm went off. She finally let go of him and looked at it and smiled.

"Oh! Manuel and Stacy are inside waiting for us!" She said as she led the way inside the restaurant.

"Who?" Zhrian asked, suddenly a bit miffed that they were not going to be alone.

"My friends. I know I should have mentioned it to you, and I do apologize Zhrian, but there will be other opportunities for us to be alone right?"

Zhrian blinked at the way she phrased that. An opportunity to be alone with her brought much to his imagination, but she obviously did not want to be alone with him since she invited other people along, perhaps he was reading into this the wrong way.

"You look a bit purple Zhrian, are you alright?" She asked as she stopped walking and looked at him.

"I am well, this happens sometimes." He replied before he followed Michelle to a booth where a young human couple were already waiting for them.

It turned out that Zhrian and Manuel had a lot in common, so much that the majority of the conversation he delved in that evening was basically solely directed at Manuel. When Michelle would speak, he would not look at her directly, but as a side glance. Part of his reasoning behind it was that he didn't want to appear too overeager in front of her friends, especially if she didn't want something more than friendship; it was best to keep appearances casual for now, they were after all still just friends.

When dinner ended, they all headed out to the front of the restaurant where Zhrian and Manuel were still talking.

Stacy and Michelle stayed behind as the men walked ahead of them.

"So, this is the same guy you talked about before?" Stacy asked Michelle.

"Yup, hard to believe since it feels like the date was between him and Manuel rather than him and me." Michelle replied dryly.

"You have to admit Michelle, he acted extremely formal. He hardly even looked at you during dinner or talked to you for that matter."

Michelle shook her head. "I don't get it. He's been so attentive up until now. Maybe he didn't like that fact that I invited you guys without telling him."

Stacy shook her head. "It shouldn't matter Michelle. If he likes you, he should make due, especially since you're at the stage where you're still getting to know each other. I understand he thinks he might be trying to win us over, but in the process he totally ignored you. Are you really sure that you're up to dealing with that?"

"Yeah, I'm surprised that he even paid for me!" Michelle scoffed. "I thought he was gonna pick up Manuel's tab!"

"You know Michelle…. I wasn't going to say anything but now that I finally met him I think I should tell you that there's another guy who's been asking about you."

Michelle's eyes widened. "Asking about me? Who? Who Stacy?"

Stacy's eyes glimmered. "A Romulan"

Michelle all but fell over. She had always had a thing for Romulan men but she always assumed that due to their arrogance and overall demeanor that she would never actually capture the interest of one.

"His name is Brenak, and actually he's half Romulan, half human. His mom is a famous historian who travels the quadrant collecting valuable relics and what not, his dad is an ex Senator of Rateg."

Michelle's eyes grew wide. "Wow, he's got an interesting background but… I don't know. It doesn't seem right to give up on Zhrian so quickly."

"Did you and Zhrian actually decide on anything serious? Or you guys are just friends?"

Michelle shrugged. "I guess we're just friends, especially after tonight." She replied as she looked over and saw them shaking hands. He then turned and walked over the Stacy where he stated it was a pleasure to meet her, shook her hand and then finally turned over to look at Michelle where he didn't even offer a hand. He nodded towards her and said: "I thank you very much for inviting me out for dinner, it was a pleasure to see you again and see all your friends." And then he saw the look of total disappointment flash across her face. Apparently he had done something that she had not liked. He stayed staring at her to try and decipher what it could be, but she quickly put a smile on her face and thanked him for coming before she quickly got in her flitter and drove away.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Zhrian thought of nothing but the look on Michelle's face after dinner. Was it possible that he had upset her in some way? He sighed as he looked at his comm. Maybe it was for the best, things still had not changed for him if they were to get involved, things could still become very complicated, and yet he found himself picking up his comm again and sending her a message thanking her for such a wonderful time, perhaps she needed to be reassured that he enjoyed being there with her.  
He waited and a few minutes later she replied:  
_"I'm glad that you were able to enjoy Manuel's company."_

He stared at her reply for a long moment and his face became serious. "Manuel's company?" he said to himself, totally confused as to what that could possibly mean. Perhaps it was a joke and she would reply further, but an entire hour passed in which she did not write anything else, she was obviously serious. That was the trouble with writing via comm, sometimes it was hard to determine what the person really means through the written word, especially when it came to human women, sometimes it was absolutely impossible to know anything when it came to them!

He put the comm down and decided to wait, perhaps she would be more precise with her meaning later on.

OoOoOoOoOooO

A week went by and Zhrian never returned the message she had sent to him. Michelle was extremely saddened and dismayed; it was obvious that she had seen much more into him than was initially there.

"Just let me introduce you to Brenak Michelle. No commitment, just a casual, friendly setting." Stacy said to her one night over the comm. She could see Manuel in the background laughing. "And you don't have to worry about Brenak ignoring you!" He said as he walked by the screen.

"Is that your husband who stole my would be Andorian?" Michelle said jokingly.

"Yeah." Stacy replied. "I think he enjoyed that evening the most out of all of us."

Michelle nodded. "I think so." She thought about it for a moment, looked at her comm and thinking about the fact that a whole week had passed and she still had not heard a peep out of Zhrian. She nodded towards the screen.

"Set it up Stace, I'll meet your Romulan friend."

There was a squeal followed by laughter. "Great! Leave everything to me Michelle; you're gonna love him!"

Michelle sighed. "Yeah… We'll see."


	5. The amazing Brenak

**I know… I've been taking forever to update my stories; blame Chex; it's all his fault!**

* * *

Michelle was so nervous that she didn't eat anything that day.  
Her legs felt like jelly as she approached Stacy and Manuel's house. She had a chocolate and peanut butter pie in her hands and the plastic covering on the pie trembled violently as she stood on the porch. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she rang the doorbell. The sound of tiny dogs greeted her and then the door flew open.

"Michelle!" Stacy said happily as she moved aside. "Come in! Come in!"

Michelle smiled. "I made this chocolate and peanut butter pie."

Stacy gasped. "Oh my gosh! This is Brenak's favorite!"

Michelle rolled her eyes. "Come on, don't tease me."

"No seriously! He loves peanut butter! Says he has it specially shipped to Romulus when he's there for extended periods of time."

"I didn't do it for him, I happen to like peanut butter a lot too." She replied, but she felt the blush on her cheeks.

"Don't worry, he'll love it, bonus points for you right?" Stacy said with a wink but that only caused Michelle's chest to hurt because the fact was that she didn't want this Brenak guy to like her, she was still hung up on the fact that she didn't know what had happened between her and Zhrian.

"Is he here already?" Michelle asked as she took a seat on a red sofa that was just outside the kitchen.

"No, he should be arriving soon though because he called and asked if we needed anything from the store about 20 minutes ago." Manuel said as he stepped into the room with a knowing grin on his face. "You nervous?"

Michelle sighed loudly. "Yeah, just a little bit." She was being ridiculous, she needed to stop thinking about Zhrian and focus on Brenak, who knew; maybe she was about to meet her future husband?

Michelle fiddled with her hands nervously, ignoring the loud groans of her stomach. "So uh… How long does he intend to stay here on Earth for, it sounds like he travels to Romulus quite a bit."

"Well, he's been here for a few months already, he did say something about returning to Romulus but it wont be for another couple of months I think. You should ask him, I'm sure he would tell you."

In that instant the doorbell rang and Manuel almost giddily answered the door. "And that is our guest at the door, you wanna answer it Michelle?"

"ME?! I.. " She then scowled at Manuel and threw a pillow at him, he dodged it and laughed heartily all the way to the door before opening it wide."

"Brenak! You scoundrel! Get in here!" Manuel said jovially as he side stepped from the door way. The sound of his footsteps could be heard as Brenak walked in…. and boy was he ever tall! Michelle looked up at him wide eyed, totally overwhelmed by how handsome he was. Not only was he incredibly tall, but his eyes were a mysterious grey color with chocolate brown hair that was very unlike the usual Romulan/Vulcan hairdo you'd see. It was actually somewhat spiked at the front and very cleanly combed in the back. He wore human clothing, a pair of jeans and a dress shirt untucked which looked both incredibly sexy yet casual all at the same time. How was this man not already married with children? Were the women on Romulus blind?

"Brenak, I want you to meet Stacy's friend; this is Michelle." Manuel said, his smirk growing even wider.

"Hi, I'm Brenak, nice to meet you."

Michelle gulped, realizing she had suddenly forgotten how to speak.

"Nice to…. Meet you; I'm Michelle." She finally ground out and began to mentally berate herself for sounding so incredibly lame just then.

He then suddenly passed several cases of Dr Pepper cases to Manuel. "You wanna get these puppies in the fridge?"

"Wow! Why did you bring so much soda? You know we don't drink it." Manuel said with wide eyes.

"Well, I do." Brenak said with a hearty laugh. "How bout you Michelle, I'm sure you enjoy a nice cold soda don't you?"

Michelle laughed nervously. "Actually, I don't' drink soda. Gave it up a while back and now I don't like to drink it anymore."

Brenak laughed. "You reminded me of my mom. She's all into the natural way of eating and she's a total die hard Vegan! She thinks she's got my dad roped into it too but every now and then we go out for steaks and beer!"

"My! Wouldn't that make your father sick if his body is adapted to eating a certain way after a while?"

Brenak took a seat and made himself comfortable in the chair across from her. Manuel smiled to himself and made his way over to his wife who was busy still preparing dinner. He gently placed his hand over her shoulder and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "So, I take it they're talking.." Stacy asked while not looking up from the enchilada's she was assembling. "You know Brenak, he doesn't skip a beat once he finds something he likes."

Stacy raised a brow. "Well, that is certainly true."

Manuel laughed. "I hope they get together."

"I hope so too." Stacy replied. "They're both good people, and they're both lonely, so let's see how it goes." He looked towards them and saw them talking animatedly. Things seemed to be going in the right direction.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOooO

Zhrian was in the restaurant eating a bowl of Beotak like that day when he and Michelle had met. He looked around and felt a deep pang of nostalgia mixed with grief. The place just wasn't the same if Michelle was not there. He could still remember he warm smile, and the way her eyes sparkled when she looked at him, the way her warm skin felt on his when she had kissed his cheek. He suddenly closed his eyes and gave a slight groan.

"Zhrian, are you alright? You seem completely out of it today?" His brother Kiim said to him.

"I am fine," He replied as he picked up his spoon.

"You're still upset with father aren't you?"

Zhrian did not look up or reply from his plate of food.

"You know he's only doing it for your own good Zhrian. You have come of age, it is time for you to formally join a Keth of your own."

"Yes, I know!" Zhrian replied in an irritated manner.

"Furthermore you were going to be sent back to Andoria anyway, so think of it as a new and positive experience!" His brother continued, but the words only served to further annoy Zhrian and he hastily got up, swiped his card on the payment slot set up on the table and left the restaurant without giving a backward glance. Forgetting Michelle was proving to be a lot more difficult than he expected.


	6. Mr Wonderful is not so Wonderful

Michelle barely slept that night as she mentally kept reviewing what had occurred that day with Brenak. He certainly was extremely charming to say nothing of how handsome he was. She had found out that he had a sister whom recently married another half Romulan, half human male. They apparently all knew each other as children and it was interesting to hear of their mischievous tales. It was interesting to see that apparently Romulans had finally been setting aside their prejudices and settling down with women of other species, human females seemed to the preferred choice…. Why couldn't that happen with the Andorians? Why were still hung up on their old close-minded ways? It was infuriating! She shook her head, there she was thinking about Zhrian again.

Something about Brenak however didn't sit well and she couldn't exactly pin point what it was. In her mind she just couldn't understand how he wasn't married already or seeing someone. A man like him simply doesn't stay single unless….

Her communicator went off, she picked it up to see that it was a message from Stacy.  
"_We're leaving for the beach in five minutes, we're gonna swing by to pick you up. Oh and by the way; Brenak will be there_ :-) "  
She smiled to herself, maybe she needed to give him the benefit of her doubt, maybe he really was just a nice guy who simply hasn't found 'the one yet'.

When they arrived at the beach Brenak was already there. They all stood and watched as he bobbed up and down on his surf board, apparently biding his time until the perfect wave came.  
Stacy and Manuel were both smiling as they watched. "Look! He took one!"  
Michelle tip-toed on the sand as she watched him in his electric blue swimming trousers taking on the wave but mid-way he lost control and wiped out. Stacy immediately ran over to the shore where his board floated first towards the shore before he did, Manuel followed close behind.  
He suddenly appeared from beneath the water and laughed heartily.

"I did that on purpose to give you all a show!" He said jovially.

A Romulan that surfed, now Michelle had seen everything, she thought with a smile.

He shook hands with them all, winking over at Michelle grabbing his surf board and running back out into the water.

Michelle shrugged and put down her things and slathered her skin with sunblock. Stacy was beside her, getting ready to go surfing as well.

"How long are they going to be out there?" Michelle asked Stacy as they watched Manuel and Brenak both bobbing up and down in the water over their boards.

"A couple of hours probably, it's a good day for it." She said as she looked up at the sky.

"So, isn't Brenak cool?" Stacy asked as she began taking off her shirt to reveal her swim suit. "Bet that other guy you were into doesn't do stuff like this."

"Well.." Michelle began. "I only met Brenak once, I was actually hoping that we could maybe talk some more today."

"Oh yeah, it'll probably just be a while, it's too bad you don't know how to surf Michelle, what will you do in the meantime?"

"Oh, don't worry about me; I'm looking forward to taking a walk down the shores." Michelle said as she got up and dusted herself off and got ready for her walk. She looked over and saw that Stacy was heading towards the water with her board in hand. Brenak turned around in that instant and looked over to where Stacy was, waving her over.

"Hmmmm.." Michelle hummed to herself; they all seem to get along so well. She thought to herself. There was a feeling however that settled in the pit of her stomach, something just seemed off and she hated that she couldn't pin point what it was, and she hated to already be so suspicious, she wasn't the judging type and she barely knew Brenak; but Michelle had learned a long time ago to trust her instincts because they were usually correct.

By the time Michelle had returned from her walk, everyone was already back from the water, dripping wet and holding cans of soda and bottles of water.  
Manuel turned around and smiled at Michelle. "Hey, how was the walk?"

Michelle smiled back_, it was lonely. _"Oh it was great! This is a lovely beach!"

Brenak chugged the rest of his soda and crushed the can with one hand before tossing it in the sand.

"Brenak really!" Stacy said with a laugh.

"What? I'm gonna throw it away in the garbage can before we leave, don't worry." He said with a radiant smile.

"And truth be told, I'm actually pretty hungry, all that surfing worked up quite an appetite in me."

Stacy nodded. "Yeah, I could go for some.."

"Mexican." Both Stacy and Brenak said at the same time before laughing out loud. Manuel finished drying off his hair and shook his head. "Fine, let's do it."

OoOoOoOooOoOoO

To say that dinner had been awkward was an understatement. If Brenak had said a complete sentence to her during the meal it would have been a lot. He spent most of it talking about surfing with Stacy and Manuel, if she hadn't been dependent on Stacy and Manuel for a ride back home, she would've gotten up and left.

At the end of the meal Brenak had winked at her and held out his hand to say goodbye. "You were quiet tonight, not feeling good?"

"Neglected is more like it." Michelle said under her breath.

"Huh?" Brenak said as he cocked his head to the side. "I don't think that even my super Romulan hearing picked that up, could you repeat what you said?"

Michelle shook her head. "I just said that I'm fine."

"Well then.." Brenak said as he turned around. "I gotta be off now, till next time! Stacy, remember you have to help me with that dinner thing my dad set up."

Stacy waved. "Yeah, yeah.. I know."

That was all Michelle needed to persuade her that Brenak was officially crossed off the list. What a terrible outing this had been.

A couple of days later Stacy had called her to ask about when she'd want to see Brenak again to which Michelle replied; "never"

"But.. why? I thought you liked him?"

"Really Stacy? You didn't see how he practically ignored me the whole time?"

"No he didn't." Stacy said. "You just don't' want to give him a chance because you're still hung up on that Andorian!"

"I don't want to argue with you about this Stacy, I thank you for introducing us, but I think friends is all we're ever going to remain." Michelle replied.

Stacy sighed. "I guess there can't always be a connection.."

"Apparently he doesn't want one with me, and that's ok. I was a bit disappointed but it's not a big deal, I'll get over it."

"He told Manuel and I that he liked you, you can't expect him to be all over you all the time!"

Michelle placed her hand on her forehead. "Did you not see how we hardly exchanged any words during dinner? He was mostly talking to you or Manuel, I could've been plastered on the wall for all he cared."

"You were being too timid!" Stacy shot back. "That's why you can't find a man, because you're too damn shy!"

Michelle remained silent on the other line for a few seconds before replying: "I need to go now Stacy, I'll talk to you later."

She didn't wait for Stacy to reply, she quickly ended communication and landed with a 'thud' on her sofa where she allowed her emotions to come to the forefront. She didn't know how long she had been crying for, and she cried until she finally fell asleep.


	7. Seeing Each Other Again

Stacy held the door open while Brenak made his way inside the house. He had his hands in his pockets, looking around before lifting an inquiring brow towards her.

"Don't worry, he's not here." She replied as she bypassed him and walked into one of the rooms. A couple of seconds later she came back out with a PADD in hand, she handed it to him without making eye contact.

"That should be it, everything your father requested."

Brenak let his hand gently graze over the PADD before smiling to himself. "He will be pleased, he's been meaning to give mom an amazing Anniversary gift; I think this will do it."

Stacy shrugged, "A license to be able to dig for dinosaur bones in Saudi doesn't really sound like my cup of tea but… Whatever floats her boat."

Brenak approached her, that knowing gleam in his eye. "I don't know how to thank you." He began, his hand already descending upon her shoulder.

"Then don't." She said as she pulled away from him.

"Why do you pretend? How much longer are we supposed to keep this up?" He said as he again approached her, not in the least dissuaded by her having backed away from him.

"There is no _we_Brenak." She replied, still not looking up at him.

"You married him out of spite. I know that you still want me, all these girls you try to set me up with is just a cover up. I see the way you look at me when you think I'm not aware, and I see how you can't even look at me now because you know it's the truth."

He again was reaching out, trying to wrap his arms around her but she quickly backhanded him in the face. It happened so quickly that he didn't even register the pain, but the shock of it was written all over his face for she had never done such a thing before.

"You kept me waiting all those years like a fool! I had to move to a different state to be free of you and all you did was chase after because I wasn't yours anymore. It's not even about me is it? It's about the chase because if I were to leave Manuel tomorrow you wouldn't want me anymore." She finally looked up, sneering at him. "You disgust me!"

He lifted a brow and smirked. "It's always the same thing Stace. A month from now you'll be calling me up and acting like none of it ever happened, lying to yourself that despite everything we can all still be friends. You make it sound like it's all me, but the fact is that you can't stand the idea of being away from me. You try to set me up with these girls because you know that I wont like any of them; I can see it in your face when I ignore them for your sake. You like it when that happens don't you? Makes you feel beautiful does it? You say I disgust you? It is you who disgusts me because you're a married woman now and you're still playing games but acting like you're trying to help everyone out. You know what we call that on Romulus Stace?" He asked as he walked closer to her, she in turn was backing up.

"A whore!" He ground out angrily.

She froze up completely that instant, her eyes welling up with tears. He walked towards her and handed back the PADD. "I've put up with so much more than I ever should have but.. I wont be needing anything from you from now on; I'm done. I'm through with all this."

She wasn't taking back the PADD so he tossed it on the nearby couch and made a hasty exit, leaving Stacy to succumb to bitter tears.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Michelle was drumming her fingers on her work desk, she couldn't even concentrate on what she was supposed to be doing because all she could think about was Zhrian, and how he never would have treated her the way Brenak had. She kept looking at her communicator; what harm could it do to simply inquire after his well being? If he didn't respond then at least she could be satisfied in the knowledge that she had tried.  
Without giving it another thought, she picked up her comm and sent him a message. Quickly putting it down beside her and trying to now focus on her work. Not even a minute had passed when her comm went off; he had responded with a slew of words.

"_It is a pleasure to hear from you for it has been quite a while. What new things have you been partaking in? I myself am involved in a project that will have me traveling in two weeks. I hope that you have been well_."

As Michelle read the contents of his message, she had a smile from ear to ear. If she didn't know better, she would say that he had been eager to talk to her, so why hadn't he simply sent her a message before? She rolled her eyes; maybe it was an Andorian thing? It didn't really matter though because she wrote back and then he wrote back and this continued all day and proceeded to the next day until he finally couldn't take it anymore and asked her if she'd be willing to meet him for lunch to which she eagerly accepted.

He felt as if he had gone back to square one as he waited in his flitter for her to arrive. To say that he was nervous was an understatement. If his family knew about this they would chase him down with an Andorian Chaka and yet he found himself not really caring. In a few months he would probably get a letter stating that his Earth Visa was going to expire and then he'd have to return to Andoria and never see Michelle again and if that were the case than the least he could do was make the most of seeing her as often as he could since staying away from her had proven to be quite impossible. He had to tell her though; he knew that this matter could not continue being hidden from her.

He saw her flitter approaching, and he quickly stepped out of his; all of the sudden he did not know where to place his hands and he felt his antenna start to fidget. He watched her step out, a warm and sincere smile on her face that only increased when she saw him standing there. He watched in awe, he had forgotten how beautiful she was and the affect it had on him was almost overwhelming.  
He was extending his trembling hand towards her but she slapped it out of the way and instead tiptoed to hug him, pulling him down so that she could kiss his cheek.

Their cheeks brushed against one another, the sensation caused him to gasp and close his eyes as he held her closer to him. He allowed himself to hug her back after a few seconds of hesitation and without even realizing it; he had lifted her up from the ground, one of his hands working the strands of her long hair. It wasn't until that moment that he in fact realized just how much he had wanted her. She looked up at him with her brown eyes and smiled. "Well hello to you too Zhrian."

His cheeks flushed a violent navy color and he was at a loss for words, his name sounded so lovely from her lips. "I.. Don't..How.."

"We can discuss whatever you like, but first you have to put me down."

His cheeks became even bluer if possible, and he apologized and put her down but she only laughed. "You can pick me up whenever you like Zhrian but right now I am quite hungry." It was her turn for her cheeks to flush, she would never say something like that normally, where had that come from?

When they sat down to eat, everything else around them was oblivious. The joy that Zhrian experienced at being there with her was unlike anything he had expected and he knew then that there was no going back at this point. If she was willing to further their friendship, he would make the effort to somehow see it through; she was worth it.

He walked her to her flitter when they were done two hours later, she turned around and looked up at him, becoming shy all over again as her eyes danced around nervously. "So… When will I see you again?" She asked.

He thought about it but she continued: "I could make you dinner, are you busy Saturday?"

He actually didn't know what he was going to do Saturday, it was very possible that he might have to actually work but he mentally weighed what was worth more to him so he immediately replied: "I will be able to see you then, what are you going to prepare?"

"Umm.. I don't know yet, what do you want? I can cook just about anything."

And that was music to his ears; not only was she beautiful and smart, but she could cook.

"Do you like Indian cuisine? How about butter chicken, and some homemade naan bread? I'm not really good with Indian desserts though, I've tried in the past and they don't come out as good."

"I will bring dessert." He said.

"Great!" She replied.

She extended her arms again and he now held no restraint at embracing her in turn, he could very well get use to this.


	8. The Kiss

The day of the dinner at Michelle's house went by gruelingly slow.

For the fifth time that day Zhrian had ransacked his closet, trying to figure out what would look best. He didn't want to look too casual, but he also didn't want to appear too formerly dressed. The tension had heightened slightly when he discovered that he and Michelle would not be alone; her brother and parents would be there, so in an effort to have some kind of emotional support he asked if he could be accompanied by his brother Kiim.

"You are lucky that you have me for a brother Zhrian, If I were any other; I would tell mother and father that you're seeing a human behind their backs." He said as he crossed his arms grumpily in front of him.

Zhrian lifted a brow simultaneously with a tweak of one of his antenna. "It is a good thing then that I have you for a brother."

Zhrian paraded around in a pair of jeans and a striped –long sleeved button down shirt. "Does this look well?" He asked his brother.

Kiim sighed. "For the third time Zhrian, you look fine, everything will be fine." He continued to contemplate his brother and sighed. "To tell the truth, I'm actually surprised that you've finally told me the truth about this girl. I knew you were acting strangely, but I honestly didn't expect a human girl. She must be extraordinary if she has caught your interest."

Zhrian rolled his eyes. "We are living on Earth, is it really so hard to believe I would fall for one of its inhabitants?" he paused by the mirror to fix his collar. "She… She's unlike anyone I have ever met before. I plan to make her my own if she will have me."

Kiim shook his head. "This is madness Zhrian, absolute madness."

Zhrian contacted Michelle about an hour before dinner was supposed to start and asked if she needed anything. She looked around to make sure she had everything and wrote back that the only thing required was his presence. Her response had him grinning from ear to ear. Kiim looked up at him and frowned as he crossed his arms in front of him.

"I have a bad feeling about this girl Zhrian."

Zhrian narrowed his eyes at him. "You haven't even met her, at least wait until you see how she is and then you will understand."

They arrived about five minutes after the appointed time. Michelle opened the door with a wide smile on her face, her hair was tied back and there was a glazed look to her eyes, and pink hue to cheeks that actually made her look quite becoming. She opened her arms wide and didn't even allow Kiim to introduce himself before she pulled him down for an embrace. "You must be Zhrian's brother! SO GOOD TO MEET YOU!" Before he could even reply, she had wandered off to where Zhrian was where she too pulled him down for a hug. He inhaled her scent and picked up several distinct fragrances, her natural scent of peonies mixed with … wine. It explained the look in her eye and the blush on her cheeks. He saw bags under her eyes which she had tried to mask with makeup and understood that she had probably been a nervous wreck all day and might have not slept well the night before. From the hallway came a curious dog who looked at Michelle to see her reaction towards the strangers and then came up to both Zhrian and Kiim. He sniffed them both thoroughly and again walked away when he found nothing of particular interest.

Immediately she asked them what they'd like to drink. Zhrian was not a drinker of alcoholic beverages so he opted for water while his brother Kiim was bolder and went for a beer. It was then that Michelle's family had arrived and everyone was introduced to everyone else. Michelle giggled and hiccupped when she saw the vast differences in height between the towering 6'5" Zhrian and her father who barely reached 5'3" Tears formed in her eyes she was giggling so much when she saw her dad looking all the way up at Zhrian as he spoke to him.

Michelle's mother leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Your father is amongst giants."  
Michelle laughed nervously, her shaky hands trying to steady themselves as she began preparing the naan bread to place over the grill. Her mother placed her hands over hers. "Calm down, everything is going well."

Michelle inhaled sharply. "I know, it's just that… I don't know."

She looked up and was surprised to see how well everyone seemed to be getting along. Her father in particular seemed really taken in conversation with Zhrian, seeing that finally allowed her to relax a little bit. Perhaps things wouldn't be so bad after all.

The meal had been extremely pleasant, Zhrian and Kiim having eaten the most, Michelle's fathers eyes grew wide when he saw Kiim help himself to a 4th helping.

"You're a really good cook Michelle." He said before shoveling more food in his mouth.

She laughed. "Save room for dessert now. "

He looked up with wide eyes. "There's dessert too?"

Zhrian kicked him under the table, and Kiim shot him a venomous stare.

They finished their meals and headed towards the entertainment room where Michelle had everything set up for them to watch a movie. Michelle looked over at Zhrian and smiled to herself. He had been so charming, so attentive and had left such a positive impression on her parents, she was so glad that everything had worked out so well, things couldn't possibly had gone any bet….. and at that moment, Zhrian leaned back against the chair, trying to get more comfortable on the rather small human furnishing when it decided to give out on him at that very moment, and before he knew what had happened; his legs flew over his head as he landed on the floor with a very loud "CRASH!" Immediately Michelle's dog perched himself on Zhrians lap and began to howl loudly, her brother came running down the hall and into the room. "Oh my gosh! What was that explosion?! What happened?"

Kiim's antenna had shot straight up and began trembling; Michelle looked over at him and realized that it was because he was trying to hide the laughter that so badly wanted to erupt from his lips.

"Oh my gosh Zhrian, are you alright?" Michelle asked as she wrapped her arms around him and helped him up.

"I'm fine, I'm .. oh my goodness, I seem to have broken your chair!.. I… I'm so embarrassed!" He said, his face becoming almost navy in color. He picked up the pieces of splintered wood with a look of both horror and shame on his face.

"Zhrian.. Please don't be! I'm so sorry! I should have had you sit on the sofa instead of that rickety chair! It's my fault!"

He shook his head, his own antenna tweaking around. Michelle's mother stepped in at that moment and lifted her hands up reassuringly. "Zhrian, sit down on the sofa and forget about it! It could happen to anybody! My son has fallen from a chair similar to that before too."

Zhrian looked up at Michelle's brother who was nodding. "yeah, it happens, don't worry about it."

"That's right!" Her father said. "We should have been more cautious and had you sit on the sofa. Please forgive us not having been more guarded."

Zhrian felt slightly better but it had still happened, and it had still been incredibly embarrassing. He looked over at his brother whose eyes were filled with mirth; he knew that he'd never hear the end of it now.  
Michelle sat next to him on the couch and patted his arm tenderly. "You sure you're ok?"

"Only my ego is bruised." He replied so only she could hear.  
She snuggled up closer to him and intertwined her fingers with his. Her warmth shot through his body and allowed him to ease up against her. Words could not describe the way it felt being with her like this. He longed for more and wished that they were alone rather than having a captive audience. By the time the movie had ended, her head was leaning against his shoulder as she had fallen asleep and their hands were still intertwined with one another. Zhrian looked at her sleeping form for long moments before he looked up at his brother who was giving him a "you're in a huge mess" kind of look.

Michelle woke up shortly and it wasn't long after that Zhrian and Kiim were bidding everyone a good night. Michelle walked Zhrian outside and looked up at him with that look that was only reserved for him. Kiim made himself scarce and walked a good distance away from them, after the embarrassment that his brother endured, the least he could do was grant his request of privacy.

"So, you're really alright? You didn't get hurt?" She asked tenderly.

"I am fine, I am only sorry that I have ruined your furnishing." He replied.

Michelle waved her hand in the air. "Say nothing of that, furniture can be replaced, you cannot." She continued to look in his eyes and he in hers before he knelt down towards her, she in turn tip toed to try to meet him half way and what was intended to be just another kiss on the cheek became a brush of the lips. It was soft and tentative at first but Michelle inhaled sharply and she kissed back with a bit more pressure, her arms wrapping themselves around his neck. Zhrian picked her up again and brought her closer to him, she was so warm, so delicious; he had never experienced any feeling similar to this. The sensation shot throughout his body and something urged that he continue, but at that moment the front door of the house opened and Michelle's brother smiling face appeared. "Hey lovebirds! Get a room before mom and dad see you guys!" He said before he shut the door again.

Zhrian cleared his throat and reluctantly put Michelle back down on the ground.

"I must be leaving now." He said.

She nodded. "I know, send me a message to let me know that you arrived home in safety."

He nodded. "Thank you for everything and I'm sor…"

"NO!" She said pointedly. "Stop saying you're sorry, there's nothing to be sorry about."

He smiled in turn. "Thank you for this evening Michelle." He gave her one last look before he turned around and made his way towards his brother who was already waiting in the flitter for him.

The ride home was silent and Zhrian could no longer take the silence. "I know what you're thinking." He began.

"Doesn't matter what I think Zhrian, what matters is how mom and dad are going to react when they find out." He replied.

It was true of course. Zhrian's parents would not take this well when they found out, but he'd have to tell them eventually; he had decided that Michelle was worth it.


	9. Zhraak finds out

When Zhrian and Kiim arrived back home, the other couple from their parents keth were there looking at them grievously. One of them looked directly at Zhrian.

"Your father Zhraak wishes to speak to you." He said with his arms folded.

Zhrian's face remained impassive and he said nothing as he made his way down the hall and into the book room where his father usually handled business affairs.

His back was towards Zhrian when he came into the room and he didn't turn around.

"So, you're involved with a human." He finally said.

"Yes." Zhrian replied with all the confidence in the world.

"And you do not care to go against our wishes." He continued to stare out the window.

"It was not done intentionally but it has happened and I have no desire to break the arrangement with her."

"Tell me.." Zhraak continued. "Are you emotionally attached to her in earnest or is this a temporary means to gain permanent residency here on Earth?"

"To do what you have just stated would be morally incorrect; I have deep feelings for Michelle, that is the humans name to which you're referring to."

Zhraak finally turned around and slammed his fist hard against a wooden desk that held various Andorian ornaments, one of them fell on the ground and shattered.

"How dare you go against what we have worked hard to create for you! Do you know how much time it has taken us to find a compatible keth for you? Have you absolutely no regard for anyone but yourself?"

Zhrian of course knew something like this would happen, his brother Kiim knew it too. To be the first one to bring about change is never easy.

"It doesn't change how I feel about Michelle. How could you expect me to live on Earth for as long as we have and not become attached to them?" Zhrian replied with his chin lifted up high in the air. "We are going to be together."

"No, you're not." Zhraak retaliated as he turned around again.

"You're going to leave for Andoria in three days."

"But I still have time left here on Earth!" Zhrian retaliated angrily. "You cannot make me leave! I will not go!"

"But I say you're leaving in three days and that's what's going to happen! Let's see how you and the human will be together now." Zhraak turned around and regarded his son with disgust. "I can't even stand the sight of you, get out!"

"If you hold such disgust towards humans, why have we been living on Earth for as long as we have? Why do we surround ourselves with them constantly? Is it really such a shock that I'd fall in love with one of them?"

A smirk formed on Zhraak's face then. "They have their uses and that is the extent of it, now; get. Out."

A surge of heat burst throughout Zhrian like never before, he turned around and banged the door so loudly when he shut it behind him that the walls vibrated. The other keth members watched with wide eyes and raised antenna as he angrily left out the front door. His brother Kiim came running after him as he was rushing down the front walkway of the house.

"Where are you going?" He called after him.

"I.. I don't know." He replied honestly.

"Zhrian, tell me what happened!"

Zhrian stopped and turned around to face his brother, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "They're sending me back to Andoria in three days."

Kiim shook his head. "I knew they'd do something drastic."

"I don't care, Either I have Michelle or no one at all."

Kiim slapped his forehead. "This is lunacy Zhrian! How long have you known this girl really? You're throwing everything away for her! Please tell me how this girl is worth all this?"

"Have you ever been in love Kiim? Felt so strongly for another that everything you do throughout the day ultimately results in thinking about the one you love? I grant you Kiim, things may not work out between me and Michelle, it's still too soon to say and I understand your concern, but I'd be a fool to just throw it all away. I have never felt so strongly for another and I doubt that I ever will for anyone else. You can either understand it or not it doesn't really matter."

And with that, Zhrian walked off into the night, not really knowing where he was going to go.

OoOoOooooOoO

Zhrian's father followed through with his threat. The following day he received full instructions on his departure to Andoria, including the name and address of the new company he'd be working for temporarily.

He snuck out of work early and met up with Michelle at a park where he told her everything. He wasn't really sure what to expect but he was certainly shocked to find her in tears when he was done relaying the story.

"They can't do this to you!" She stammered as tears came down her face, it did not do well to see her in such a state.

"They already have." He replied sadly.

"And there's no way for you to just hide out somehow without their knowing?"

His antenna quirked slightly. "Oh, they would definitely know."

"This is ridiculous!" Michelle replied hotly as she wiped her cheek. "You're a grown man! You should be able to choose what to do with your life."

Zhrian looked up at the bright blue skies and fluffy white clouds, soon he'd be in a very different environment, one where Michelle would not be in it and it caused him much pain.

"Last night I showed up at Joe's house all but begging for him to give me a place to lay my head for the night. It gave me time to reflect on many things Michelle, and most importantly I thought about our situation. I agree that things cannot continue in this way but I also think that it's wrong to have subjected you to what I am going through."

"But.." Michelle started but he silenced her with his finger.

"Please listen to what I have to say. What I am trying to convey is that you are an incredible woman Michelle and thusly should not have to endure hardship for my sake. It is apparent that any kind of future together would be difficult if non-existent if we're both residing on different planets." It was harder than he imagined having to say all this, he sighed and closed his eyes, trying to find the words that would ease the pain but it refused to make itself present.

"So that's it, you're letting them win." Michelle replied.

"There are no other options! Do you think I take pleasure in what is occurring?"

"We could get married." She replied. "Tonight."

Zhrian was struck silent. He looked at her to see for any hint of sarcasm or humor but found that she was absolutely serious. Her brown eye searching for the smallest hint of acceptance.

"I cannot accept such a suggestion." He finally said.

"But.. why not? If we get married you can stay!"

He shook his head. "You deserve better than a stop-n-go wedding Michelle."

Tears began to well up in her eyes again, she was frustrated and becoming angry. "I'm trying to come up with a solution! You're just giving up! I guess you don't feel as strongly for me as you think you did if you're just going to yield to leaving Earth!"

She was about to rise up from the park bench but her grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him, he gently took her face in his hands and kissed her deeply. She immediately enveloped him in her arms and they kissed long and ardent, only pausing to breathe and embrace each other as if trying to affirm that it was really happening.

Their kisses became heated, especially when Michelle accidently rubbed his antenna when she ran her fingers through his soft hair, he pulled away and looked at her kiss swollen lips with a want he had never before experienced; it was both frightening and exciting.

He looked into her eyes, such pained eyes. "I love you Michelle, I will love none other than you, but I must leave, at least until I can figure out a way to come back permanently, and then we shall court properly and then we shall marry; this I promise you." He sighed and took her hand in his.

"Let us at least make the most of the short time we have together, let us not spend it arguing."

She couldn't believe this was happening, just when things were starting to look up, Zhrian was leaving, why was life so unfair? She wouldn't just take this lying down though; she would find for them to be together even if it meant doing something extreme.


	10. Up Against The Wall

All too soon Zhrian was back in Andoria.

The pain that stabbed through his being as he boarded off the shuttle craft was indescribable, for all this he could thank his father Zhraak. He just couldn't understand what his father had to gain in having his own son deported.  
The skies were a darkened grey-blue color and the difference in temperature was vast in comparison to Earth's. All around were other Andorians bundled up in furs as they tried to keep warm in the frigid cold, and this was considering that they were in the underground of Laibok where there were various sources of geothermal heat but it still didn't prove to be enough at present. The wind picked up as he headed towards the public transportation building but he didn't mind the cold, it numbed out the pain.

As soon as he arrived at his temporary room for the night, he connected his computer and checked to see if Michelle had sent him any messages, which she had. He immediately called her and they were talking for quite some time, he simply didn't want to end communication with her and given the look she had on her face, she didn't want to end communication either but eventually they had to especially since the time difference meant that it was currently 3:00am where Michelle was and he didn't want to keep her up for too long.

That morning he got up and reported to his new work station, a job that his father enabled him to get; he hated it. He hated the whole situation in general. He hated that the streets were so crowded, hated that the morning meal consisted of a sad grey looking goo, and other tasteless things that simply served to keep them warm as opposed to actually tasting good, and again he hated that he could not readily see Michelle if he wanted to. He began questioning whether the choice to not marry her when she had proposed it had been a good idea after all, but it was too late for that now.

By the time he would leave work, the skies would be a navy blue and it was always at least 35 degrees colder than when he had initially entered the building. He missed the variety of food he had grown accustomed to on Earth, and he missed the warmth not only in the physical sense but also it seemed that humans in general were friendlier and easier to get along with. He had smiled at an older woman one day and her response was to sneer back at him.

After his first week of being back in Andoria, he received a message from Shilan, a member of the Keth his father had organized for him. It was a very cut and dry message, a take it and leave it sort of thing. He shook his head and wondered how his father expected him to follow through with it. He quickly deleted the message that contained the contents of where they would meet; he would not follow through with his father's wishes and that was that.

He had taken a day off work to find a place to live and was able to find a small but very clean and modern efficiency, he could have of course gone to live at his Father's estate but he refused to step foot on to the property. Seeing as he had no belongings with him apart from his computer and some clothes, it didn't take very long at all to move in. What ended up taking up most of his time was cleaning up and buying a few things. He decided to call Michelle as they had not spoken the day before and he was puzzled to find that she had not answered. An hour later he tried again but again there was no answer.  
A knot began to form at the pit of his stomach, did she forget about him already? Or even worse, what if she had met someone else and realized it was pointless to pursue a relationship with someone who was on another planet?

His antenna quirked anxiously as he tried calling her for a third time with no success, it had been so bad that he had hardly gotten any sleep that night and as a result he went to work the next day trudging around rather sluggishly. His mind being mostly focused on Michelle and trying to figure out a way to return to Earth before it was too late.

"I should have agreed to marry her then." He kept repeating to himself in his mind.

"Zhrian." His boss said to him. He quickly turned around and faced him as he stood up from his desk chair. He got up too fast and due to lack of sleep he felt light headed.

"Yes Sir." He replied.

"I want you to meet our new analyst, she comes from Earth and I know you spent several years there so I want you to work together." Zhrian lifted his head and it was as if he was seeing her for the first time. The shock was so great that he felt himself stumble backwards and slam against the wall and thus spilling his drink all over the floor and wall.

"What the heck is the matter with you son? Haven't you ever seen an Earth woman before?!" His boss yelled.

Michelle bit her bottom lip trying to stifle her laughter.

"Mmmma.. Mmmi…" Zhrian tried to get out, still in total shock at what was happening, he was dreaming, this was all a dream and he would wake up having fallen asleep on his desk, but the pain from having collided against the wall was real enough.

"Yes, my name is Michelle, it's a pleasure to meet you Zhrian." She extended her hand out to him as if they did not know each other. Of course, they couldn't let on. He tentatively took it as he extended his own shaking hand.

His boss rolled his eyes and sighed. "You kids get acquainted, take her out to lunch Zhrian, you might as well get use to each other as you'll be working together quite a bit! Come along then Michelle, there are some others I'd like for you to meet."

She gave Zhrian once last smile before she walked out leaving him still crouched and leaning against the wall, finally when the reality of what she had done started to sink in, a smile formed upon his face and he all but leapt up off the ground, eagerly waiting for Michelle to come back and give him the details of what had happened.

OoOoOoOoOoO

It was hard to pretend as if they had never met before. They exchanged forced words as strangers would but their eyes bore into each other's heatedly when nobody was looking, he ached to touch her. Lunch time couldn't come soon enough but when it did; Zhrian immediately guided her to a tram that would take them a good distance away from where they worked. Once they got off the tram, she followed him up an alley where he suddenly turned around and kissed her as if his life depended on it.

He picked her up and spun her around before kissing her again and to any passerby it would seem extremely amusing as Michele was bundled up head to toe with furs and it looked as if Zhrian was carrying around and kissing a life size plushie.

He hugged her so tightly that he heard her squeak, she was about to say something but gasped when she saw the tears welling up in his bright blue eyes. It suddenly dawned on her what an emotional rollercoaster this must be for him. She knew Andorians were a passionate people, but this was the first time she experienced it in this way first hand. She realized then just how much he really meant to her, and come wind or high water, she'd do anything in her power to be with him.

He looked at her small shivering face, her nose was red and her lips were starting to pale. He was totally and completely overwhelmed with the fact that she was really there with him in Andoria. He had no idea how she had done it, but words could not begin to express how he felt so he decided that the best thing to do was to show her, and he leant down to kiss her again.

Zhrian would have happily stayed there kissing her all day but when they paused for a moment, he felt her clear her throat before she whispered: "Zhrian, I'm really cold, can we go somewhere warmer?"

His eyes suddenly lit up. "Oh yes! I'm so sorry, I just.."

She smiled. "It's ok, I'm just not use to being in such a cold environment."

He nodded and took her by the hand, he'd find a place for them to get some food and where they could talk.


	11. A Marriage Proposal

It was well past midnight when Zhraak arrived at his residence; a mixture of Andorian Ale and perfume mingled upon his being as he tried to enter undetected. He was running out of plausible excuses and sometimes in his ale induced stupor, he sometimes didn't even know what to say, but then again it didn't really matter after all was said and done. He was the one within his Keth who did most, if not all of the financial providing. They needed him, and they were wise to overlook his actions so long as he continued to provide for them.

Before he could move to his room, a light switch turned on and one of his Keth members wearing a sleeping robe appeared.

"You are late arriving this night Zhraak, it seems that work keeps you very busy these days." Her voice was uncaring, her posture of one who had been waiting a long time and was now stiff. She was taller than him, her body extremely slim, too slim. She had not a single curve, nor anything that was very appealing for that matter. Even her hair was cut very short, and did nothing to brighten her severe face.

"What I do is not your business." He replied, and was about to continue walking to his room when she interrupted him.

"You flatter yourself Zhraak, I didn't wait up this late to confirm your state of wellbeing; I waited because Shilan sent a message earlier today that our son Zhrian never showed up for his initiation meeting with his Keth."

Zhraak's eyes grew wide, his antennas shooting straight up.

"There must be some mistake, Zhrian knows better than to do something like that." He replied.

The female Andorian shrugged and began walking away. "I have notified you of the news and thus completed my end of the task; it is your responsibility to carry out the rest."  
She continued to walk without giving him so much as another glance, nor wishing him a good night and retired to her separate room.

After she had left, Zhraak entered his own quarters and quickly activated his computer. He had a feeling that he would need to take a trip to Andoria soon.

OooOoOoOooOoOoOoOoO

Michelle had been in Andoria for a few weeks now, and the truth was that it was proving quite difficult for Zhrian to hide his regard for her, already people at work were starting to suspect that the relationship between he and Michelle extended that of just mere co-workers, but luckily most of them didn't really seem to care. It was much more difficult than it had been on Earth to be together for on Andoria there was no such thing as a 'weekend' as humans understood it. You only received one day off during the week and had to rotate days with other co-workers and since Michelle had arrived, they had yet to partake in a full day's outing together.

Most evenings they'd head back to Zhrian's place where they'd cook dinner since Michelle had low tolerance for being out and about on the streets because of the severe cold. It didn't take long at all before Michelle practically lived in his small efficiency. He had purchased a sleeper bed that fit on the palm of his hand but once he pressed the small red button on the side, it expanded and became a full size futon that fit both of them comfortably.  
It was becoming difficult to remain a gentleman at times, and more frequently than not, he found himself not wanting to be one, especially at night when he held her in his arms as she slept. He again began to lament the fact that he had not taken up her request of marrying her when she had brought it up back on Earth.  
These thoughts seemed to invade his mind more and more as the days went by. He loved her, this he knew, and her mere presence in Andoria was all the proof he needed to know that she loved him too.

He watched her cooking stew one night; she was wearing a yellow apron and humming some Earth tune he had once heard before. So many thoughts ran through his mind as he was completely mesmerized by her. He looked at her from head to foot but then stopped at her mid-section and wondered what she'd look like if she were pregnant with his child. He smiled and shook his head; it was waaaaay too early to be thinking of such things! He couldn't help it though, he wanted her completely, and if he were completely honest with himself, he was tired of going through the motions of Earth courting rituals.

He rose out of his chair and wandered over to her; he placed his hands on her waist and peered over her shoulder to see the bubbling red broth simmering away.

"It smells divine." He said.

She chuckled. "It will be because I made it!"

He laughed. "modest too."

"of course!" she joked right back.

He sighed and hugged her tightly before placing a gentle kiss on her soft lips.

"Are you going to tell me what's on your mind?"

Zhrian shook his head. "What was that?"

She laughed. "You've been acting spacey lately, what's on your mind?"

He looked at her for several long seconds, not really knowing how to start until he sighed and just said what was on his mind. "I don't know what we're doing Michelle, what are we doing?"

She put down her spoon and sat down on one of the large cream colored pillows she had gotten for his place. Since there wasn't room for much, they used pillows as furniture.

She shook her head. "I don't know Zhrian, I'm not really sure myself. I only know that I don't want to be away from you and … If this is what we have to do to be together, then so be it."

He shook his head. "You deserve better than this. I… " He knelt down towards her and looked into her eyes.

"I know we haven't been courting long but…You know I love you Michelle and… I know that you do not particularly wish to live here in Andoria and the truth is that I do not wish to live here either unless you …. What I mean to say is that, do you remember back on Earth before I left to come here, you had said… I mean, you …. "

She giggled at his sudden nervousness, but she understood what he was trying to say.

"Zhrian, are you saying that you want to get married?" She asked as she gently took his trembling hands in her own.

All he could do was nod while simultaneously swallowing the lump in his throat.  
It alarmed him that she didn't reply right away, he was about to speak when she suddenly dove towards him and circled her arms around him. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to surrender completely to her. His hands rubbed her back as they kissed, as if reassuring him that she was really there with him, for he still could not believe that this was happening.

"I love you Zhrian." She whispered in his ear. "And yes, I'll marry you."

"yes.." He whispered back. "We will marry, but not here; we will return to Earth and marry there."

Her eyes grew a bit wider. "Are you?"

He nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. We'll leaving first thing Tomorrow."


	12. Colleen

**HELLO! You guys have done a fair amount of guessing when it comes to Zhraak, so I decided to finally tell his story in this chapter, most of you guessed right of course, but there is a lot more to it than Zhraak just being a jerk… even though he is, he does have a back story, and this chapter is it; enjoy!**

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"I don't see why you need to leave." A woman with radiant red hair and piercing teal eyes said to him as she received the news. "I think you're seeing another woman!"

Zhraak chuckled before taking a sip of his bourbon drink. "I'm flattered that you think I have that much energy Colleen; it's hard enough keeping up with you alone as it is, to say nothing of my fellow keth members, and now my son who has taken it upon himself to be a pain in my side."

She sighed loudly, her chest heaving up and exposing her cleavage that her low cut dress gave view of. Zhraak hungrily ate it up with his eyes, he so desperately wanted to hurry up and pay the bill and get to her apartment as soon as possible, but he had been with her long enough to know that that would probably not happen given her current mood. She was increasingly demanding more and more of his time, and it was becoming harder to keep her happy and in check. The news of his having to suddenly leave to Andoria did not sit well with her. He could see her cheeks reddening and that Irish spirit of hers coming to life as she argued and worked her magic in order to get him to stay. In ordinary circumstances in would have worked, but the issue at hand was not up for discussion, this was his son they were talking about and he needed to straighten it out as soon as may be.

"You can accept my explanation or not Colleen; I'm through arguing with you about the subject." He said as he stood and swiped his card on the card pad of the table to pay the credits for their bill. "I will be back in one week, you can choose to wait for me or not."

"I just don't understand why I cannie come with you!" She said as she stood and followed him out the restaurant.

"It's a family matter." Was all he replied.

She sneered and stopped walking. "That's what you always say isn't it Zhraak. You claim that family is oh so important to the Andorians, and yet you're secretly running around with a human! How long do you plan on keeping this up? How long do you think I'll go along with just being your whore?!"

Zhraak closed his eyes and sighed angrily, he really didn't need this right now, and he hated that she referred to herself in that manner so he quickly turned around grabbed her hand rather forcefully as he ushered her out of the public eye and into a remote alleyway.

"You let go of me this minute! We're done! I'm not putting up with this any lon… Umph!" She exclaimed as his lips came crashing down on her own. He kissed her desperately, her hand instantaneously coming up to rub his antenna in the manner she knew he so very much enjoyed. A confirmation of this was heard when he moaned loudly, a smirk of approval forming on her lips as he continued to kiss her lips and neck roughly.  
He pushed her up against the wall, he wanted to have her right then and there, it would have been so easy given that her dress was rather short and her leg was already wrapping itself over his hip. He would have loved nothing more than to take her with him to Andoria, but it was quite impossible. His mind and his heart was conflicted, how did he allow this to happen? This … whatever it was, was not supposed to have happened, he never intended to become involved with anyone outside of his Keth, least of all a human. It was then that he began to remember how it had all happened, as he looked into her beautiful blue eyes, he recalled how they had first met.

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_8 months earlier….. _

Zashilan Power Inc. had been successfully commissioned to begin producing power on Earth. It had been a great advancement in his career and it meant that his net worth would not just double, but triple. They had been on Earth for several years now but it had taken that long for the permitting to finally come through. Zhraak being the CEO of his own company hired only the best. Engineers and architects who he could rely upon to lessen the workload as his days and nights seemed to be taken up by little else.

"I will give you all the life you could only have dreamed of." He had said to Mezila, the female of his Keth who had bore both of his sons; Kiim and Zhrian. Her reaction however was just to nod, not bothering to look up from an Earth fashion magazine. "That's nice dear; I think I will go shopping later in the afternoon."

He had sighed, trying to ward off his anger at her indifference. "You could at least pretend to be appreciative of my efforts Mezila."  
He had rather been hoping that this bit of news would have her engage in some sort of intimacy with him. It had been so long, he would have even settled for a three second exchange of an antenna caress.

"I am." She replied but still not looking up from the magazine as she slowly turned the page. "These humans are so grotesque in appearance."

"Then why do you look at them so often?" He asked.

She shrugged. "Heightens my esteem you might say."

Zhraak didn't even know what to say to that, conversation between them had always been rather limited and he had long learned that it was in most cases fruitless to try and change that particular nuisance within their relationship so he simply walked away and tended to a pressing matter at hand; he needed to hire two engineers for a new project if they were ever to meet their deadline.

Interviewing always proved to be more complicated than it should have been. Every now and then he'd get someone who phonied up credentials, and he had come to learn which those were right away. He'd slip over his PADD with a particularly long Calculus problem for them to solve and say: "You have five minutes to solve this." Already he had knocked out 5 of his 8 interviewees that morning. That's when he had met Colleen. The moment she had walked into the office wearing a form-fitting teal business suit that matched her eyes and complimented the auburn of her hair, it was as if he had seen a female for the very first time in his life. He felt his antenna quirk nervously when she extended her hand out to him. "I'm Colleen O'Connell, I'm here about the engineering position." She had a lovely accent that soothed him, and there was the undeniable fact that she was extremely curvy, most Andorian women were quite the opposite and he found that he liked this feature in human females.

He shook his head as he caught himself thinking such irrational thoughts, he had his Keth, his children, and his duty as the provider, and that was all.

Colleen was quick, and to the point, extremely professional in her manner of speaking and expressing herself, he could tell that she was a woman who was not afraid to take chances, and that was the kind of people he sought out for Zashilan Power Inc.

"Just one more thing Miss O'Connell"

She smiled. "It's actually Mrs. The husband's back in Ireland… but anyway…"

It was curious that she'd make such a statement. He had come to know that most humans displayed that they had a mate of some kind by wearing a ring, and he had already noted that she was not wearing one.

"If you could just solve this problem…" He handed the PADD to her and she took it from him. He leaned back in his chair and smiled as he watched the look on her face. It began with confusion and then turned into a smirk.

"Well?" He asked. "Too complicated?"

She laughed and handed him back the PADD. "Ye must take me for a fool, did I give ye such an impression?"

He lifted a brow. "What do you mean? Explain."

"Tis problem here don't make sense laddie; ye missing …." She then took the PADD away from his hands and began erasing and writing in numbers to the equation before handing it back to him. "I fixed it for ye; no charge." She said with a smile and wink. It was at that point of course that Zhraak knew he had found his new Civil engineer.

In the beginning however they hardly ever interacted. Sometimes he'd see her when she took her coffee breaks and they'd say a quick salutation and that would be the end of it. She'd be present at meetings but when it came to work, nothing but exactly that ever entered his mind until one day, he was having a rather heated discussion with one of their customers who was obviously trying to cheat them of labor. A Tellerite was on screen, shouting and demanding to have an engineer on call 24 hours for no extra charge and that simply was not acceptable. Usually it was always Zhraak who had to quote contract stipulations but this Tellerite was especially conniving and twisting the words written in the contract in such a way that Zhraak was afraid that he'd have to give in to the pig's demands if he didn't want to lose the whole account and then Colleen spoke. She didn't shout, but she was forceful in her words. She had apparently done a bit of research herself before being present in the meeting and it was the first time he had seen her work her magic of finding small fragments of words and using them to her advantage. She then held up a page signed by the Tellerite and using it to her full advantage; the pig had been skewered.

He watched her in utter fascination, and was beyond pleased when they had closed out the meeting with the agreement that the Tellerite would get his on call engineer but at a bonus cost to them in turn.

Everyone else had shuffled out of the room, but his eyes remained on her.

"That could have gone ugly you know." He said to her.

She giggled as she shuffled her things together. She smiled and winked at him as seemed to be her custom towards him. "You're welcome Zhraak." She said before leaving the room.

After that occurrence he found himself fighting these foreign feelings he had never felt before. The urge to pass by her desk for no apparent reason, the need to walk by the coffee break area when he knew she'd be there and eventually they began to strike up conversation, but it stayed tame, and never went beyond co-worker acquaintance.

He'd come home feeling tormented because he knew he wasn't supposed to harbor these feelings for someone outside of his Keth; least of all a human, but Mezila was so cold towards him and he didn't know how long he could continue in this manner.

One night in particular he had come home late, his breath reeking of ale, she had not waited up for him; she was asleep in their joint room. In his inebriated state he crawled into bed and allowed his fingers to caress the tip of her antenna in hopes to get some kind of reaction from her, anything, he longed for intimacy, any show of compassion – which he was successful in doing but just not what he had expected. What he had gotten was an argument that lasted several long minutes that ultimately ended up with him having to move to a separate room that eventually became his permanent room after that.

"Ye don't seem yourself today." Colleen said to him over her cup of coffee. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head. "It's nothing."

She lifted a brow. "An Irish lass can sniff out a lie better than a fox huntin-hound; ye might as well tell me."

He shook his head again. "You're human, it would be complicated to explain."

She sighed. "It's the wife itn't it?"

He lowered his eyes. "We don't have wives, we belong to a Keth, but yeah.. It's something along those lines." He had answered.

"She donnie 'preciate ya?"

When he didn't answer she gave him a bitter smile. "I'm on that same boat laddie." She raised her hand and showed him her bare ring finger.

"Cheatin on me with the scullery maid; that heifer."

"The what?" Zhraak asked.

She shook her head. "Nevermind, the point is… people like us.. Sometimes… We better off by our lonesome, just make the most of it. I'm not big on giving personal advice, specially my boss, specially an Andorian, but…" She placed her mug on the table and sighed. "We got work t' keep our minds occupied."

Zhraak nodded. "That is indeed very true." And with that he bid her a good day and went back to work but found that he couldn't get their last conversation out of his mind. It had impacted the way he was feeling to the point where if he did not begin to avoid her, he was apt to do something disgraceful not only to himself, but his Keth, and it simply wasn't worth it. That was when he began to avoid Colleen. Didn't seek her out at break times, only spoke to her when necessary, and even though they carried on in this way for a couple of weeks, he found that he only became more frustrated and thought of her even more, it got to the point where he even dreamt of her at night, dreamt of doing things to her that was only appropriate with members of his Keth and he'd wake up shaking and wanting.

"Why are ye avoiding me?" She asked one day as she barged into his office.

"Can I help you Miss O'Connell."

"That's Mrs. To you!" She said as she strode up to his desk.

He blinked, surprised at how her response caused an uproar in his chest, what did mean exactly?

"I want t' know what I've done, I've obviously offended you! Didn't even look at me at today's staff meetin! What am I? A fly on the wall?! Nobody treats me that way, I don't right care if you are me boss!"

He cheeks were becoming red, her hair was falling out of place and he found himself standing up from his desk and coming around to close the door. His heartbeat began to quicken and his lips became dry, but then as he began to look her up and down, he saw the ring upon her finger and stopped cold.

"you're back with him?" He exclaimed.

She had stopped her ranting and looked at her ring. "That's none of yer concern!"

He shook his head in shock and approached her so that they were only inches away from each other. "I always thought you a brilliant woman but my opinion of you might change, how could you possibly go back to him, didn't you say he cheated on you?"

"He apologized, and I get lonesome! You might not understand! I don't expect you to understand, and why are we talking bout my personal life? I didn't come here for that!"

"What did you come here for Colleen?" He asked.

She stopped, ran her fingers through her red hair and took a few steps back to lean against his desk. "I…"

He took a couple of steps towards her. "Why did you come here?" He asked again.

She shook her head. "I don't know, t'was a mistake obviously." She was about to walk out of his office but he took her by the wrist and spun her around to face him. The thrilling sensation he felt prickle up his spine as he held her prisoner in his office could not be ignored. The tension and ongoing frustration between the two of them could no longer be denied, and for once, for once he decided that he was going to do what he wanted to do and not what was expected of him, and that's when he cradled her face with his long fingers and kissed her deeply.

It was nothing like he had ever experienced before, and he realized that ever since he had met her, this is what he had been wanting things to lead up to her. He had wanted her in this way all along, and what frightened him all the more was that he knew that this simple kiss would not suffice, he wanted her completely and just the mere one time affair many humans partook in would not do, he'd need to have her on a regular basis. Colleen would now become a part of his life whether he liked it or not.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Zhraak? Are you listening to me Zhraak?" Colleen asked.

He realized he still had her up against the wall. He abruptly let go and ran a hand over his hair.

"Zhraak?! Are you ok? What's going on? Please tell me so I can understand!" She pleaded.

"I will explain it to you on the way to Andoria.."

Her eyes lit up.. "You mean it? I can come with you?"

He shook his head. "Yes.." He turned around and faced her, his lips and cheek smeared with her lipstick. "It's time you knew everything."


	13. Facing Exile

***Just a note, be sure you've read the previous chapter before reading this one***

**I did quite a bit of research for this chapter and I have to admit I was kinda shocked and intrigued by Andorian practices, and yes; a Keth can be dissolved if one of the members decides to detach himself but it does not occur often and… well, you'll see. **

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Zhraak was surprised at how nervous he was about heading out to Andoria with Colleen. He had a feeling that she was not going to take what he was going to say well and he suddenly began to question how he was going to handle things. The thought of her leaving him brought intense anxiety and he realized that their splitting up was simply not an option.

He couldn't remember when it had exactly happened but he had slowly become very dependent upon Colleen. It wasn't just the intimacy they shared, but he respected her mind, and everything just made sense when they were together. When he had to travel on business for more than a couple of days and leave her behind it was absolute agony and his return usually entailed an entire day locked up in her apartment and becoming re-acquainted with each other. It was as if he had finally discovered the true meaning of life when he was with her, but this new discovery also meant absolute chaos.  
Even though Colleen had separated from her husband, they were still legally married and he was still tied to his Keth. He had tried to make it work in the past, they could never say that he had not, in the beginning he tried so many things and it always seemed as if anything was to be done, he had to do things himself. The only reason why Kiim and Zhrian came along was because it was a requirement by Andorian law that when one married into a Keth, they had to produce at least one offspring, and they had had two, and while they seemed to follow every other rule, Zhraak often wondered why he was only tied to Mezila, the other two Keth members lived a life of their own that he wasn't even aware of. He knew they got along very well, they did everything together which was why he thought it would have been the same between he and Mezila, but she made it so that that was not so. It was then that he had begun to deeply resent her secretly, resent her, his fellow keth members and even his own sons.

He now recalled when Zhrian came to see him; he had been in a particularly foul mood due to the fact that he and Colleen had argued. It didn't happen often but when it did, it really took a toll on him. He didn't like being separated from her, and he didn't like when she was angry with him because her reaction would be to push him away completely. He knew she deserved to be more than a side item, and he was angry that his circumstances made everything so difficult.

The truth was that he knew he had been more than harsh in deporting his own son and thus separating him from the woman he wanted, but at the same time he felt like he was doing him a service. The majority of Andorians were still quite antiquated in their ways of thinking and coupling with someone that was not Andorian usually meant exile and it was almost always impossible to recuperate said sentence. This was something that he wanted his son to be spared from, this was something that he'd probably have to personally endure once he and Colleen finally came forth and announced the truth to everyone. Exile was the ultimate punishment to those who disobeyed the ways of Andor, and he would never even be allowed to set foot on Andoria. It saddened him deeply to think of these things. He had pictured both himself and his son both being exiled and that was when he decided to send him back to Andoria. He hid well behind his mask of anger when he saw the way his son visually almost came apart right in front of him, it was then he knew that his son had obviously fallen in love with the human girl, but he had always had his sons best interest in mind… and now Zhrian was disobeying rules and not meeting with his intended Keth members. He could understand the reasoning behind it, and that's why he had to go talk to him personally about it. He'd come clean about everything, tell him about Colleen, and make him understand why he must stay in Andor and do what's right instead of following in his father's footsteps and throwing everything away by being exiled.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

When Zhraak stopped by his home to pack some things before meeting with Colleen, there before him stood the other three members of his Keth, all of them giving him the most grievous of faces he had ever seen. They didn't even wait for him to speak before Mazlen, the other male of his keth stepped forward and began in an accusing tone: "We know of the human you've been coupling with Zhraak. This needs to be resolved."

He still said nothing, and the other female keth member took her place beside him and began speaking as well: "You bring shame upon our Keth!"

Zhraak rolled his eyes. "I bring you money, which is all you all care about."

"It is your role to provide for us." Mazlen answered.

"Please Mazlen, tell me what role you've provided during the 26 years that we've been a keth? I would dearly love to know."

"You accuse me of doing nothing Zhraak? Need I remind you that I was the one who practically raised our children since you were always working and Mezila could not be bothered."

Mezila sneered at Mazlen. "Who bore the children, you? Who's body is now disfigured with birth scars? You?"

"This is all beside the point." Mazlen said to Zhraak as he igored Mezila. "You must cease in your coupling with the human!"

"Or what, you're going to have me exiled Mazlen?"

Their eyes grew wide in shock; he talked of it as if it were nothing.

"Now see here Zhraak! It doesn't have to come to that, we can all be as we were before." Mezila finally said.

Zhraak chuckled and walked over to the bar area and helped himself to some Kirins Red, a drink that Colleen had acquainted him with and he had become rather fond of. "How was it before Mezila? Other than having to deal with your contempt and bitterness, always leaving me starved of your affection, is that what you're offering me?"

She remained silent for a long moment before she replied in a low voice. "We can… perhaps attempt to salvage that which has been…"

"I'm gonna tell you what you want Mezila, and it's got nothing to do with me. You want my wealth. You've become accustomed to living the good life here on Earth, spending all my credits on those fancy gowns that show off your flatness to the world, it's all you ever do is shop and when you're not doing that you're looking at magazines and at possessions that others have wondering with envy why it can't be yours. Please correct me at any time if what I'm saying is not true."

"Of course it's not!" She yelled angrily.

"I had no idea that the troubles within our Keth went this far." Mazlen said in shock.

"Of course you didn't." Zhraak replied. "You two are so up each others atennas that you don't even know what's going on around you."

"It doesn't change the facts Zhraak, you need to detach yourself from the human or face the consequences."

Zhraak finished the rest of his drink in one gulp before he put down his glass and walked over to face them. "The real consequences would come if I gave up my human woman in order to stay with you all. I'm going to leave with her now to Andoria, find our son and straighten things out, and after that happens and I return to Earth; I'll be taking up residence elsewhere.

"You can't just abandon us!" Mazlen yelled.

Zhraak had already been walking to his room when he stopped and turned around and looked at him. "Why not? You all abandoned me a long time ago." And with that he locked the door to his room and began packing his things to leave for Andoria. He rummaged through his drawer and picked up his PADD and entered his secret code before the screen picture came into view. It was a picture of him and Colleen sitting together and laughing. He remembered when they had taken that picture; they had gone on a weekend getaway to Paris and had had one of the most memorable experiences of his entire life. He looked at the picture for several long moments before putting the PADD away. She was most definitely worth risking everything; he only hoped that she felt the same way.

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**I know that Michelle and Zhrian have been absent from the last two chapters, but they'll be present again in the next chapter **


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